The UpBeat: SafePet helps bring happy endings to women and their pets

You might wonder why a story about abused women and their pets is on the "UpBeat" page. But in fact — according to all the people involved in this initiative — happy endings and a better future are the norm.

SafePet president AJ Sher, seen with her Shiba Inu, has a message for women experiencing domestic violence: 'When you are ready to leave, we are ready to foster for you. We want you to have a happy ending.'Louise Crandall / Photo supplied

You might wonder why a story about abused women and their pets is on the “UpBeat” page. But in fact — according to all the people involved in this initiative — happy endings and a better future are the norm.

SafePet Ottawa is a volunteer-run, non-profit registered charity that fosters the pets of women who leave domestic violence for the safety of local Violence against Women (VAW) shelters. SafePet, which began two years ago, is a coalition of volunteers, women’s shelters and vet clinics that work together to provide veterinary care and long- or short-term fostering for the months the woman (and her children) stay in a shelter. (VAW shelters cannot accept family pets.) When the women are ready to leave the shelter, they are reunited with their pets.

The Ottawa Police Service investigates about 4,500 domestic violence cases each year. Apparently 48 per cent of women in Ontario who need to get away from an abusive situation delay (or don’t leave at all) because they are afraid to leave pets behind. It is not uncommon that the animal has been abused to manipulate the woman.

SafePet works with about 40 foster families, seven participating vet clinics and 10 local women’s shelters. Since 2013, about 50 cats, dogs and pocket pets have been fostered. If needed, horses, pot-bellied pigs and mini goats can be looked after, too.

SafePet president AJ Sher has a message for women experiencing domestic violence: “When you are ready to leave, we are ready to foster for you. We want you to have a happy ending.”

To access SafePet, a woman should call one of the 10 VAW shelters listed on www.safepetottawa.com. (SafePet also takes referral calls from organizations associated with violence against women issues and is a member of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence against Women.) Tell the worker who answers the phone that you have a pet you cannot leave behind but you must leave for safety now. The shelter will contact a participating vet clinic that in turn contacts a SafePet co-ordinator. Some of the VAW shelters will arrange transport for the woman so the pet(s) will be dropped off at the vet clinic on the way to the shelter. After a health exam and vaccinations, the foster will pick up the animals and take them home. For safety reasons, information on SafePet fosters and vet clinics is confidential; only the vet clinic knows the identity of the woman entering the shelter.

The average foster stay is three months but, because there is a lack of affordable housing in Ottawa, it might be longer. The time in foster is a period of calm for the animals when they are well treated and get healthy. When the woman exits the shelter, she is reunited with her pets at the vet clinic and families can move on to a fresh start together.

“For some women experiencing abuse, the idea of leaving their pet behind presents a huge barrier to accessing a shelter,” said Martine Dore, a program manager at Chrysalis House, a local VAW shelter. “Having SafePet has been invaluable to assisting women to leave, knowing that all members of their family are safe. Our experience with Safepet has been very successful and we appreciate how the amazing partners, from the volunteers, foster and veterinary clinics, have helped women and their children leave abuse to build safer lives.”

According to Sher, the returned pets are always happy to see their owner (and kids) and always remember them. Her favourite story is about Cleo, a mid-sized, happy mutt. She always hid during episodes of domestic violence until one occurred when the woman was holding her newborn baby. This time Cleo lunged at the man to protect the baby. Shelter workers moved quickly to remove the woman and Cleo was placed in a SafePet foster home. Apparently she constantly showed her love of kids and always wanted to play with them in the park. After a few months, Cleo was reunited with her owner. She had gained much-needed weight, was healthy and had lost her fear of men. She also became a socialite in her new neighbourhood and was popular with all the local kids.

SafePet Ottawa is always in need of foster families, especially those experienced with large dogs. Donations are used for foster supplies and veterinary care. Volunteers are greatly appreciated to help with fundraising activities and transport. Also much-needed are items such as cat and dog crates, gates and pens, dishes, bedding, litter boxes and litter, toys and food.

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